


mirror, mirror

by triggerhappyhope (starprise_entership)



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Dream Sequence, Gen, Grief and Loss, imposter is underrated and i wanted to explore a bit of his potential, mondo grieves over taka
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:01:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27741904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starprise_entership/pseuds/triggerhappyhope
Summary: Kiyotaka is gone, and Mondo is left to pick up the pieces.
Relationships: Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo, Oowada Mondo & Ultimate Imposter
Comments: 2
Kudos: 37





	mirror, mirror

There he is. Standing in the kitchen, with his back faced to you. The tap is running, and he carefully rinses the dishes one by one, treating each one with utmost care before putting them steadily onto the drying rack. 

You eye the dark-coloured apron strap, standing out so contrastingly against his snow-white uniform. His back is as straight as a rod. Eyes drift up the line of his backbone to the high collar, and then the close-cropped black hair that begins at the nape of his neck.

He hums the only tune he’d ever known, to the accompaniment of the gentle clinking of ceramic plates and the unending rush of the tap. Finally the national anthem tails off and he gives the faucet a firm turn, closing the valve tightly to avoid the wasteful  _ drip drip drip  _ that serves as a sign of the water being closed off incorrectly.

This is Kiyotaka Ishimaru. But it shouldn’t be. Because…

...you’d just come back from laying him to rest.

“Hey.” Your voice cracks and you pound your fist against the countertop.  _ Taka  _ turns to look at you, and those are his eyes, so red, so vibrant, so lively.

“Yes?”  _ Taka  _ says, clearly in his own voice, but you are reeling. You don’t understand. He shouldn’t be here. He should not be talking to you. Taka isn’t here any more.

Taka is all dust and ash now, an urn of bones sitting deathly still.

“You’re not him.” You can hear a scraping sound, and it takes you a few moments to register that as the sound of your teeth grinding together. “You’re not Taka.” A sob rises from the back of your throat. You don’t know what you want to do exactly with the person standing right in front of you; you’re not even sure what you’re feeling right now. Your right hand clenches into a fist and before you know what’s happening, your left hand is clenched in  _ Taka’s  _ collar and the man  _ flinches _ away from you in response.

You had expected him to whimper and plead, but he is more level-headed than you had expected. “I’m s-so sorry…” He apologises, but it’s a different voice this time, not Taka’s. “You were grieving the loss of your friend, and so I  _ thought _ -” You wind up your fist, ready to deck the bastard in the face. “Please. I’m sorry. I did not mean to cause you more grief.”

And now you don’t think you want to punch him, because the  _ void  _ in your heart aches so badly it feels like you’re bleeding out. You drop him. The guy crumples to his knees, catching his breath for a moment. 

“ _ Why _ .” Your cheeks are wet with tears. “Explain to me.”

He adjusts his collar back into place, and stands to his feet. “We’ll go somewhere more private for this conversation.”

* * *

“I might not know you well, but all I wanted to do was help.”

You swirl the green tea in your cup, watching as some powdery clumps gather at the bottom. It’s the least you can do right now to stop your hands from shaking. 

“I...am not very well acquainted with the experience of loss. I am close to nobody, and hence I have not ever felt as deeply with regards to the  _ death _ of another fellow human being.”

You sniff, and hope the man isn’t judging the way you’re curling into yourself, as if that would keep away all the bad emotions.

“But I hear that many people regret not spending enough time with a loved one, or not having enough time to say goodbye.”

“So…you were trying ta give me that chance. To say goodbye to Taka.” You nod. The bedsprings creak under your weight, and you set the cup aside. Bury your head in your hands. “There’s so many things I never fuckin’ got to say to him.”

There’s a warm hand on your shoulder, and the bed dips as he takes a seat next to you.

Your heart hurts. You don’t know if it’ll ever heal, or if you ever want it to heal, because healing means moving on from Taka and you’re not sure you even want to do that, cuz that means accepting the fact that Taka’s  _ gone, forever. _

“It was not my intention to come off as a distasteful parody of your friend. I would never do so with the talent I have been blessed, or rather, cursed, with.”

You shake your head. “Nah, wasn’t yer fault, it’s just- ‘m feelin’ a lot right now.” Your body moves without the permission of your mind, and you lean on his shoulder, craving any comfort that your body needs, for your survival right now. 

“Would it make it better if I hold you?” 

You are weeping. Your throat closes around the word, but he knows and lets you into his embrace. It is not the firm, lean muscle you are used to, but you catch the scent of ironing starch on his uniform and in that moment, you know, that this is the closest thing you could get to Taka right now. You speak once, then again, and then a string of words is flowing from your lips. You don’t know what you’re even saying; your mind is too clouded by the emotional thunderstorm that rages within it, but even then you know, deeply, in your heart, that you mean all of it.  _ All of it.  _ You tell Taka that it should’ve been you in that accident. Not him. He had so much to live for - a purpose, a big dream. You knew he was gonna change the world. He was gonna make amends. He was gonna make progress - progress for a society that  _ needed him _ \- and now he can’t do all that because his life was taken from him so unexpectedly. Society needs him. And  _ you  _ need him. He’s the only reason you got your shit together. If he hadn’t been so insistent on motivating you, you’d probably be dead in a ditch somewhere. He believed in you. He believed in everyone.

He was so good, so kind, and  _ oh god why did he have to die. _

You miss him. You tell Taka about all the places you were planning on bringing him. All the things you were planning on showing him. And all the things you were gonna do together - _ oh god, you’re thinking about the house again,  _ the house you were gonna build for him, because he was your rock and you wanted everything for him,  _ everything _ \- you loved him too much, and now you are trying so hard not to let him go.

Everything sounds like it’s underwater. You aren’t sure if you’re crying any more. You’re not sure you have the strength to. You are surrounded by warmth, so very warm - and there’s his hand, on the top of your head, gently running through your hair. 

You stop struggling. 

* * *

When you are aware of yourself again, you are on the beach, by the shore. Your trousers are soaked through with sea water, and so is the white dress shirt you’re wearing. Next to you, Kiyotaka is smiling.

“Hi, Mondo.”

You reach out to interlace your fingers with his. He feels warm. Feels  _ real. _

He shifts closer, and rests his head on your shoulder. 

You watch him. Watch those ruby red eyes as they gaze out to sea. Those long eyelashes that flutter in the breeze. His nose, plain, but a nice shape to look at all the same. And the gentle curve of the grin that lies on his lips is soothing, one that warms you to your core.

You know this is too good to be true anyways, so you start. “I’m sorry we have to say goodbye like this.”

“If it helps you sleep at night, I would ask you not to worry about me.”

You give a resolute huff, which gets him to pull his head from your shoulder. His gaze is intense as it gazes into you, and you wish you could remember this moment forever. 

“I’m not gonna forget you, Kiyotaka.”

The gap closes between the two of you, and for one moment, there is peace.

“I exist here, in your memories. And I don’t think I’ll be leaving any time soon.”

You share a kiss as the sun rises, and then everything fades again.

* * *

When you lazily drift awake again, you are in your bed, swaddled up in warm blankets. Kiyotaka is gone, but  _ he  _ is there.

“Good morning, Oowada. Are you alright?”

“Huh?” You groan, palming at your face. “Fine enough, I think.”

Your vision clears. He’s still dressed in Taka’s pure white uniform, but his face is different. It is no longer Taka’s red eyes that stare back into yours, but pools of deep green, serious and undecipherable. His long, straight hair is combed back, a dark curtain that spreads across his shoulders. So this is the mysterious man behind the mask.

“I can infer from the look on your face that you have a number of questions to ask me. Namely, who I am.”

“Well, yeah.” You swing your legs over the side of the bed. “Thanks for bein’ there for me yesterday. And I don’t even know yer name.”

His lips press into a thin line. “That’s because I do not have one. Not a name, not a family, not any origins, nothing.”

“Wait.” It’s too fuckin’ early in the morning for that big of a revelation. “So, like, what do people call ya?”

“I am only known as the Super High School Level Imposter. Nothing more. And as such I lack an identity of my own, doomed to only wearing faces that are not mine. I am everyone, but simultaneously, I am no-one.”

“My talent has not exactly been helpful in making myself useful to others,” he notes, a thumb on his chin. “But if you were comforted by  _ his _ appearance, yesterday, then I would have fulfilled my purpose well enough.”

“You...did good.” You’re not sure about what really to say, but just that you’re glad that...whatever happened yesterday, happened. “Is there anythin’ I could do for you?”

“A good breakfast would be nice.” He rises from his chair, crossing his arms across his chest. “And perhaps we could talk more.”

“It’s been so very long since I had the opportunity to learn more about someone.” 


End file.
